Seven Years (and a lifetime) of Magic
by what a feeling
Summary: It takes them long enough. Hogwarts AU. Percabeth. One-shot.


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own PJO/HoO, any of the characters, and least of all, Hogwarts, or any other references you may find.**

Percy stands on Platform nine and three quarters, looking around him in awe. There's students and parents and the strangest pets everywhere, and he suddenly feels really small. He reaches out to hold his mother's hand, looking up at her with big eyes, because sure, being a wizard sounds cool, but that also meant his mom couldn't come with him, an he isn't sure he's ready for that yet.

It had been an eventful summer, to say the least. He'd received a mail (do people even use mail anymore?), been told that he, like his father, was a wizard, meaning that he could do magic, and then found out his mother had known all along. If that wasn't enough, he'd gone shopping (on his _own_ , he'll have you know) in a market that popped up when he pushed a brick, and then he ran _through a wall_ to end up here, and really, it's a lot for an eleven year old to take in. In a way, it makes sense, he thinks. At least it explained all the strange things that happened to him that usually resulted in him being expelled.

There's students everywhere- Some look his age, and some look really old. He's a little intimidated, but his mother's telling him he'll do great, promising to write to him every week, and slowly nudging him to the scarlet train. He doesn't know what's happening so he wraps his arms around her and held her as tightly as he could before pulling away and walking into the train. He's afraid that if he looks back he'll burst into tears, so he settles into a booth that's empty. His mother is right by his window.

"You'll do great, Percy." She tells him softly, her eyes shining with pride. "You'll be a great wizard one day, don't you worry about that. Have fun, okay?" The train's whistling and Percy wants to get off. He reaches out to touch her fingers. "I love you, Percy." She tells him with a soft smile.

"I love you too, Mom." He responds with a sniff. "Every week?"

"Didn't buy you an owl for anything but."

Percy is satisfied with this, and relaxes in his seat, just as the train begins to move. He waves until he can't see her anymore. Just as he's settling back into his seat, a boy his age tumbles into the booth. He looks up, a little startled.

"Mind if I sit here? I'm Jason." The boy says confidently, and he looks like he's Percy's age, so Percy thinks he must be a second year. No first year can be that calm. He nods, watching the blonde boy with curiosity as he plops down opposite him. "I'm really sorry. My sister's in the other carriage with her friends, and they love doing weird stuff like pulling my cheeks. They're disgusting." He makes a face, and Percy decides that he likes Jason.

"I'm Percy." He says, offering his hand that Jason takes with a smile. Percy notices that his new friend's got a scar above his lip. "How'd you get that?" He gestures to his own lip, but Jason seems to know what he's talking about. He laughs a little.

"My mom's big into collecting muggle stuff, and when I was younger, I tried to eat this weird contraption." He explains, gesturing wildly with his hands. "A stipster, I think. It's got these pins and it bunches papers together, and-"

"A stapler?" Percy asks, wondering how there's people who don't know what a stapler is. Jason's smile brightens.

"You know it! Are you a muggle born?" Percy is thankful for knowing what that means. He shakes his head.

"No, but I might as well be. My dad was a wizard, but he left before I was born. My mom's a muggle." He says, proudly, and Jason nods.

"Is this your first year? It's _my_ first year." He says importantly. "I wonder what house I'm going to be in. Annabeth and I have this bet- I think I'll go to Slytherin, and she'll be in Gryffindor, but she thinks I'll go to Ravenclaw, and she doesn't know where she's going."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Percy says shyly, trying to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. For a second, Jason looks at him like he's dropped out of the sky, but he goes back to being really excited fast enough for Percy not to feel bad about not knowing. "So, there's four houses at Hogwarts, right? Gryffindor- that's for people who are brave. Slytherin's for the ambitious. Hufflepuff's for people who are really loyal, and Ravenclaw's for the nerds- People with smarts, apparently." He hastily amends. "I'd bet Annabeth would get sorted into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. She's such a nerd." He rolls his eyes, and Percy asks him how they're 'sorted'. Jason explains it slowly for him, and with every new fact he learns about the magical world, the more excited Percy feels to go to Hogwarts.

"-Can't wait for the Quidditch games. I've heard so much from my sister. Annabeth and I have been playing ever since we could fly, and-"

"Is Annabeth your sister?" Percy asks politely, because he wants Jason to stop spouting so much information without giving him enough time to digest it. Jason grins.

"Almost. She's my best friend. I've known her since ever. She's a first year, too. She'll be around somewhere. Thalia Grace is my sister, and if you see her, steer clear. She's a fifth year, and fifth year girls are not people you want to get involved with, Percy, trust me." His blue eyes are blown wide and he looks sincere, so Percy nods, making a mental note. "They giggle and talk about boys and makeup and they like to pinch your cheeks." He huffs indignantly.

The two boys get talking about other stuff- Percy tells him about life as a muggle and Jason tells him things about the wizarding world.

"Jase?" A girl's voice calls, and both boys turn to the door, where Percy sees a really pretty blonde girl. She's leaning against the door, looking a little doubtful, as if she isn't sure whether to enter or not. She's wearing a pretty blue dress, and Percy can't help but notice how her hair ends in these perfect rings. "I was looking for you."

"Annabeth!" Jason beams at her, patting the space beside him. "Come on in. This is Percy, he's a first year too. Percy, this is the girl I was telling you about." Percy smiles shyly at her, and she sends him a grin that looks anything but innocent.

"So, Percy, what house do you think you're going to be sorted in?" Annabeth asks, propping her legs up and pulling out a box of Chocolate Frogs. It wriggles between her fingers until she bites its head off, after which it goes still. She shrugs, seemingly unfazed by it. She offers both boys the sweet, and Jason takes one, though Percy decides he's not ready to bite into frogs just yet.

"I don't know. I mean, Hufflepuff sounds cool." He shrugs, wondering where he really wanted to be. Annabeth nods, licking her finger.

"It's right next to the kitchen. Definitely going to be useful after long nights." She smirks, and Percy furrows his brows.

"Jason said that first year students have to be in bed by ten?" Annabeth snorts and Percy thinks it's kind of cute.

"I like to think of rules to be a set of flexible guidelines." She tells him. "I'd bet the fun stuff only begins at ten." Percy eyes her wearily. He'd gotten into a whole load of trouble at school, and he isn't sure how much of that he's willing to continue in magic school. "Don't worry, Jase is a lot like you. He's a stickler for rules." Jason shoves her playfully.

"That's because your plans can get us killed. Remember when you stole Reyna's broomstick and then got it stuck in a tree?" Annabeth shrugs. "Annabeth, she's got dogs that will _eat_ you if they find out you're lying."

"To be a good liar, you have to be confident. That's really it." She waves off, and Percy's wondering just what kind of a world he's entered, with ballistic dogs and edible frogs.

oOo

Percy is racing down the halls to the Great Hall. He'd dozed off in DADA, and Professor Brunner had made him stay back to tell him off, and he's sure he's missed lunch. He stumbles through the doors to find it empty, and he groans. Great, now he's got to live with his rumbling stomach all the way until dinner.

He walks dejectedly away, his head hanging, back to the Gryffindor common room. To make matters worse, he's got flying lessons with Madam Hooch, which means he's going to have to exercise on an empty stomach, and he doesn't know how that's going to work out. He passes by the courtyard where he finds Jason, his head close together with another blonde. They look like they're discussing something very seriously, and Percy sneaks up on them, flinging himself on Jason's back, causing both of them to scream. Annabeth had already hidden the parchment she was working on, and Percy raises his brows.

"What's that?"

"Nothing." Annabeth answers too quickly, and Percy narrows his eyes. She returns his stare, but his stomach lets out another long rumble and he gives up. In all honesty, he wants nothing to do with Annabeth's schemes. She must have heard, because she looks at him, an amused smile playing at her lips.

"You hungry, Jackson?" She pouts, and he glares at her. "Did you miss lunch? You poor baby."

"You're never at lunch, I don't know how you do it." Percy complains and Jason lets out a snort, just as Annabeth's eyes brighten as she beams. Percy'll admit that he thinks she's really cute, but there's nothing that makes his heart flutter like watching Annabeth come up with a way to _bend_ a rule.

"Percy!" She cries dramatically. "I thought you'd never catch on." She grabs him by the scarf, pulling Jason to his feet with her other arm. "Let's go."

Percy's already dreading this, as they make their way to what he thinks is the Hufflepuff common room, until she stops about ten feet away from the entrance. She turns to the painting of the fruits, and Percy half expects them to spring to life, or something, because he's still not used to the concept of magic. Instead, Annabeth reaches out and scratches the pear.

Percy frowns at her, because he's pretty sure paintings don't respond to human touc-

The painting swings open so fast, it nearly takes him out. Percy and Jason jump out of the way, and Jason leans over to peer into the doorway it's revealed.

"Woah. Nice." He grins, following Annabeth, who'd skipped right in. Percy peers down the short, narrow hallway that reveals a thousand strange small ugly creatures scurrying around with plates of food. He frowns, climbing in. When he catches up with his friends, he turns to Annabeth.

"Annabeth, where are we?"

"The kitchen, Perce." She rolls her eyes. "Hey, Minti!" She calls, and one of the small, weird creatures is by their side, bowing its head with a large grin.

"Miss Chase! You haven't been in for a while. Minti was worried!" It hugs Annabeth around the knees, and Annabeth softens, returning the gesture. Percy squinted at it, and Jason leans forward to whisper in his ear,

"House elves. They're like muggle slaves, I think?"

" _Slaves_?"

"Servants." Jason amends hastily. "Annabeth's a regular, somewhere in her midnight rendezvous."

"I can see that."

"Minti, can you get the two of us some dessert- Whatever you've got, and my friend here some, ehm. What muggle food you got?"

"Does fried chicken wings work, for Master?" The house elf asks Percy, who nods, throat dry. "It's a rage in America." It nods to Annabeth before snapping its slim fingers. A huge plate of chicken wings just _appears out of thin air_ before Percy.

"Um.. Thanks. Minti." He adds awkwardly. The house elf beams at him before scurrying off. Jason and Annabeth are grinning at him over their plates of flaming kiwi cups.

"Welcome to the world of magic, Perce." Annabeth grins.

oOo

By the time they're in their second year, Annabeth is Percy's best friend, along with Jason. He and Jason are both in Gryffindor, which means they spend a lot more classes together, although they do often have flying classes and DADA with Slytherin. With Annabeth on their team, they almost never get an answer wrong, which is really convenient for two boys who hate any kind of studying.

Today, the three of them are sprawled across the grass beside the Great Lake. Annabeth's sat up straight, head bent over her sketchpad. Jason's lying on his back, eyes closed, and Percy looks at his friends, wondering how he got this lucky. He loves Jason and Annabeth to bits, and he doesn't know what his life would have been like if Jason hadn't sat at the compartment with him last year.

He's starting to get more used to the magic, and Hogwarts has slowly transformed into his home. He knows what routes to avoid, when the staircases shift, and he's learned how to keep his nose clean, even if he's friends with Annabeth. She usually sneaks off at night to some of the _unauthorized_ parties that the older students throw, so she knows most of Hogwarts by their first names. Percy wants to go with her, really, he does. He wants to see her cheeks flush in excitement before they sneak out and he even wants to be with her when she gets caught (she will, some day), but he can't bring himself to break a rule. He thinks maybe he's spending too much time with Jason.

"Hey, Chase, want to play a game of Quidditch?" A voice calls, and the three of them turn to find Clarisse La Rue, a sixth year Gryffindor, grinning at Annabeth, who smirks.

"Only if you're ready to get beaten, La Rue." She calls, getting to her feet. She spares a moment to look back at the boys, raising her brows. "You guys coming to watch me kick butt?"

That's all the cue they needed to hurry to their feet, rushing after her. When they get to the pitch, Clarisse turns on the younger girl.

"Okay, Beckendorf's agreed to be Keeper." She gets to her knees and lets out the quaffle, that flies gracefully into the air. "One, two, three, go!"

Annabeth is a lot smaller than Clarisse, and is a lot skinnier, too, and the quaffle isn't something that can easily be tamed, so Percy worries about her, until he sees her fly. She looks like she's one with the broom, zooming effortlessly through the sky. She grabs the quaffle with practiced ease, and uses her weight to her advantage as she dodges Clarisse, making her way to the hoops. She takes a moment to send Clarisse a smirk before tossing the quaffle cockily into the hoop, only to have Beckendorf block it with a grin. Even from the distance, Percy can see Annabeth gawk for a moment before narrowing her eyes.

"Alright, La Rue." She calls. "You're _on_. First to a hundred wins." Percy hears Clarisse laughing as they begin their game. Beckendorf blocks a lot of their attempts, but the occasional one would go through, causing the girl to cheer. Beckendorf was a also a Gryffindor sixth year like Clarisse, and, like her, was on the team. The competition is close, the girls are tied at ninety each, and they're both zipping around the pitch so fast that Percy can hardly follow them.

"YES!" Finally a voice screams, and Percy squints up at the sky before turning to Jason.

"What happened?" He asks, and his friend shakes his head.  
"Clarisse won, that's what." He shrugs, and the two of them start getting off their seats, meeting the two girls and Beckendorf on the pitch.

"That was a great game, Chase." Clarisse shakes her hand, and Beckendorf follows her lead. "See, Beck? Told you she's great. I'm glad I won't be around when she's on the team." She laughs good naturedly, giving Annabeth what she probably thinks is a gentle shove, that nearly sends her flying across the pitch. "Let's go-" Clarisse is saying, but she's cut off by a bark.

"Chase! La Rue! Beckendorf!" The three of them turn to face Professor Apollo, the Head of Slytherin house and Percy's Transfiguration teacher, standing there, his arms crossed over each other. Percy thinks he's actually a pretty fun guy, but he's scowling at them and Percy's a little scared for them.

"It's against the rules for second years to be on brooms unsupervised by a teacher." He glares at them. "Five points from each of you. Leave." They start to troop out slowly, until he calls,

"Miss Chase. You stay back."

Percy and Jason give Annabeth a long, sad look to say they're sorry, and she shrugs as if to say, 'It's my fault, anyway', and they leave her behind, walking on.

When she meets them after dinner, her smile looks like it's going to tear her face as tells them she's the Slytherin team's new chaser.

oOo

Hogsmeade is one of the most interesting places Percy's ever been to. He's got a little bag of sweets from Honeydukes that he and Jason are picking through. Annabeth is walking in front of them, speaking with Piper, one of the Hufflepuff girls in their year that Jason obviously has a massive crush on. They're laughing quietly, and Percy thinks Annabeth's laugh is really pretty.

He thinks that maybe he has a crush on his best friend, and weirdly enough, he's okay with it. It's just Annabeth, after all. Who in their right mind wouldn't like her? She's pretty and she's smart and talented and she's so much fun. He walks in silence with Jason, chewing happily on his sweets.

Annabeth and Piper lead them straight to the Shrieking Shack. Everyone knows the story behind it- It used to be a place where a student went to transform into a werewolf. He isn't partifularly scared, but the way Annabeth's acting unnerves him a little. Her eyes are wide when she turns to the Shack.

"Do we go in?" She asks softly, and Jason rolls his eyes.

"Annabeth, it isn't haunted." He steps forward. Just as he's about to open the door, a loud howl comes out from the house, and, fine, Percy admits it- he screams. As do Piper and Jason. Annabeth looks up at them, her lips parted.

"What do you think that was?" She whispers. Jason shakes his head, obviously terrified. Annabeth tries to shove him inside, but he comes out just as fast, smacking her head.

"Don't push me in, what's wrong with you?" Annabeth rolls her eyes.

"If you're not going to go in, I will." She shoves them all aside, taking a bold step inside.

"I don't think that's a good idea-" Percy starts, but she waves him off.

"I want to know. Anyone in?"

"We'll wait here for you." Piper suggests nervously, and the boys are quick to agree. Annabeth flips all of them off and rolls her eyes before marching in. The door swings shut behind her, clicking locked.

That went well, Percy thinks. It's barely been a minute when they hear the howl again, followed by screams that are definitely Annabeth's. Percy's heart stops beating and the three of them are screaming, trying to pry the door open. The howls and screams continue, and Jason, Piper and Percy struggle against the door that seems to have been jammed shut. They're desperately calling her name, until everything goes silent.

"ANNABETH!" Jason cries, banging his fist on the door, but there's no response. They exchange horrified looks, until someone barrels towards them, knocking them off their feet. Percy thinks it's the monster, and that he's going to be dead, and he shuts his eyes, having accepted his fate, but he's only greeted with laughing.

He opens his eyes cautiously to find Connor Stoll standing over them, laughing with tears in his eyes and a camera in his hands. He knocks on the door in his laughter.

"Guys, I got the footage. Get out." He chokes out, and the door opens to reveal Travis and Annabeth, both clutching their sides.

"Man we got you _so_ good." Annabeth's still laughing on their way back to Hogwarts, and while none of them were particularly impressed by the prank, Percy can't help but agree, because yes.

She _did_ get him good.

oOo

Fourth year comes with teachers emphasizing how important the OWLs are, and how they'll decide their careers and lives. Percy doesn't really let it get to his head. He'd been getting an A, sometimes an E in all his mock OWLs, so he figures he'll be okay. He isn't particularly sure what subjects he wants to take in his sixth year, but he decides that he's got plenty of time.

Annabeth, on the other hand, works really hard. When she isn't in class or at quidditch practice or out at one of the parties (fourth years were welcome, so Percy and Jason sometimes would go, too), she's studying at the library. Percy knows that she wants to work at St. Mungo's as a Healer, and that needs a whole lot of good grades, so he understands, but that doesn't mean he doesn't miss her.

Jason's started to spend a whole lot of time with Piper, and sure, Percy can hang out with his Frank, but he's always with Hazel, and Percy sometimes just feels really lonely. He voices this to Annabeth one day, regretting it the moment she decided that they would study together.

Most of their study sessions involves Percy watching Annabeth bent over her parchment paper. He decides that he really, really likes her when he notices how she bites her lip when she's trying to memorize something, and how she whispers out the words she reads.

They're fourteen now, which means that they're getting older, and Percy notices the way some of the boys look at Annabeth, and it makes him a little uncomfortable, but he swallows it back. He doesn't like the predatory looks they give her, and he feels like it's his responsibility to keep them away, even if she's about an inch taller than him.

"Percy, are you listening?" Piper snaps him out of his trance. He blinks at her.

"Eh?"

"Do you know what it means when your tea leaves look like a toothbrush?" Percy shrugs.

"Means your teeth are going to rot until you die, I think." He says. He'd been dumb enough to take Divination, but he'd figured out the trick fast enough- The more morbid your predictions, the more accurate they are. "Professor Dare's pretty weird, anyway." He answers in response to Piper's incredulous stare, and she seems to accept it, getting back to her homework. "You know, you've got my finished homework right in front of you."

"I was double checking."

They settle into a silence until Annabeth plops down at their table in the library, flinging her bad over her shoulder and onto the table.

"I'm so tired, I think Muggle Studies is going to be the death of me. Should've taken Divination." She grumbles, and both Piper and Percy, having been brought up in Muggle homes (Piper is a muggleborn) are quick to tell her that she made the right decision.

"We're learning about the muggle education system, and it's so complicated. Why does Scotland have thirteen years? Other schools have twelve? Why do we need so much schooling?" She grumbles, and Percy decides she's here to talk, not listen, so he strokes her hair softly as she complains for a while longer.

"I think you're working too hard. Do you want to take a break?" He asks her softly, and she nods, stifling a yawn. "Maybe you should stop with the social life and get some shut eye." He suggests, to which she nods sleepily again.

"Exams are in a month." She states, but doesn't go on.

"One cheat day. We'll go break some rules, that kind of fun." He nudges her softly, and she grins at him.

"Tonight?"

"Tonight. Only if you get some sleep right now." Percy promises. He coaxes her out of her seat and gets her to head back to her common room. Piper is watching him with amusement, a smirk playing on her lips, so Percy raises his brows.

"What?"

"You like her." She states.

"So?"

"Nothing." Piper goes back to writing out her homework.

That night, Percy sneaks out to meet Annabeth at the library.

"Hey. You ready?" He asks, and she nods, eyes shining. He leads her back out and to the astronomy tower. "Cliché, really, but it's a clear night, and, well, there's a nice breeze." He shrugs as he opens the door, Annabeth walking out onto the patch of grass on the terrace. She's wearing a pair of shorts and a cami, and Percy worries that she might get a cold, but she twirls, flashing him a grin.

"It's a nice night." She agrees.

oOo

Annabeth's Quidditch captain in their fifth year. Jason's a prefect, and is trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year. Other than them, nobody else in their slowly growing friends group have any significant positions in the school.

Annabeth's gotten downright _beautiful_ over the summer, and she's grown into a young woman, and the number of boys staring at her have _multiplied_. She doesn't seem to notice, though, and ploughs on through, working hard on keeping her grades up.

Percy can't find a thing about Annabeth that he doesn't like, and he's sure she doesn't feel that way about her, but he's okay with it for as long as she's smiling at him the way she does. She loses a lot of weight that year, though, because she doesn't eat, caught up in the midst of Quidditch and the OWLs.

They're in DADA class, practicing patronuses, and Annabeth gets it in her third try. Percy isn't there, though, so he hears from Piper, who has DADA with Slytherin. Piper couldn't conjure hers just yet, but apparently, Anabeth's got a beautiful, majestic lioness for a patronus, and Percy thinks it's an accurate description for her. She's fierce and independent and beautiful, not unlike a lioness. He congratulates her before heading to his own DADA class.

He concentrates on the day he and Annabeth sneaked out to the astronomy tower, because he can't think of when he'd ever been happier. Funnily enough, he can feel his happiness flow through his veins and right into his walnut core wand, and he sees a silvery animal forming at his first try. He watches the shape form in awe until he's staring at a lion glimmering before him. Jason is looking at him with wide eyes, and Percy gulps. Professor Brunner looks equally amused as he is impressed and applauds Percy, who asks if he can leave early.

He doesn't feel too good.

Jason doesn't bring it up, either, but when the whole gang's sat at the Great Lake one Sunday afternoon, Janet walks by, calling to Percy that she was impressed by his patronus, and everyone's asking him what animal he'd gotten. He looks to Jason pleadingly, and Jason laughs.

"Percy's embarrassed because his patronus is a pigeon." He laughs nervously, and Percy joins in, just as awkwardly.

He doesn't meet Annabeth's curious gaze for the rest of the day.

oOo

Sixth year is when Jason and Piper are official, Jason is Quidditch captain, and every single boy in Hogwarts is staring at Annabeth. Percy glares at them when she's not watching, and he's come to terms with the fact that he is, in fact, head over heels in love with Annabeth Chase. She gets an O in all her OWLs, and Percy maintains an A average, and he's happy. He decides to take Potions, DADA, Ancient Runes and Charms, almost the same as Annabeth, who took Transfiguration instead of Runes. He's in her class most of the time, and they partner up all the time, and Percy thinks that maybe he could actually get somewhere.

She tells him she's dating Jake Lewis from Ravenclaw, and he's really happy for her, because she seems to be happy about it. He watches them spend a lot of time together, and he's a little upset because Annabeth seems to make time for Jake, but not him, but he thinks that's what a boyfriend is, after all, so he tries to move on. He's happy for her, if she's happy.

But she's not. That's why she's standing in the courtyard, arguing loudly with him, who's screaming just as loudly back at her.

"-Believe you're such a jerk!" She's screaming when Percy walks out.

"Well, I can't believe you're such a suck up!" He fires back. "And when you realize he doesn't need you anymore, don't come begging to suck _my_ co-"

"Shut up." Annabeth snarls, moving closer to him. She jabs him in the chest. "You're a cheap lowlife, Jake, and you're-" Percy's pushing through the crowd around them, and he can see the argument in bits and pieces, but there's a collective gasp when Annabeth's cut off, and he peers over someone's shoulder to see Jake having drawn his wand. Annabeth lets out a laugh.

"Oh, you don't want to do that, Lewis." She laughs, and Percy can hear most of the audience agree with her in their whispers. He squeezes through to the front just in time to see Jake fire a spell at her that she deflects with ease. She doesn't retaliate, though, looking more like she's surprised he actually tried to attack her. Jake growls, trying over and over again in vain.

"I can't believe you." She sighs as she blocks a curse. "Go back, Jake. Think about your life." She flicks her wand, causing Jake's to go flying out of his hand. She makes eye contact with Percy, who'd managed to get to the front, but she doesn't acknowledge him. She pushes past the crowd, her head down as she left the courtyard.

Percy runs after her because he wants to make sure she's alright, and finds her sitting on the bottom step of the stairwell.

"I'd be careful." He says. "That might move." She sends him a small smile and climbs up to the second step. Percy takes a seat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They sit in silence until Percy asks,

"Want to tell me about it?" Annabeth opens her mouth before closing it thrice before she finally looks up into his eyes. Her features are confident, even though her eyes betray how terrified she is, and Percy's brows stitch together in worry.

"If you don't want to talk-" He starts, but she cuts him off.

"I'm in love with you." She tells him, her lips quivering, and Percy stares at her for a moment, because he definitely didn't hear that right. He raises his brows.

"What?" He asks, but Annabeth's already covering her mouth and standing up.

"Oh, no. No no no no no." She's muttering, moving away from him, and it takes Percy second to get up and run after her.

"Annabeth, wait." He gets hold of her wrist, holding her lightly, giving her the option of leaving if it made her uncomfortable. "I'm sorry." He tells her, and she averts her eyes. "No, not like that. Oh god, this is hard." Percy runs his free hand through his hair. "I love you. I have since we were eleven." He confesses, and Annabeth's looking at him like she doesn't believe him.

"You're just saying that because I've gone and made things awkward between us." She tells him softly, and Percy lets go of her wrist slowly, afraid that she'll run away. He reaches back and pulls out his wand. He closes his eyes, and murmurs, "Expecto patronum."

There's the familiar feeling of boundless joy, and out comes his patronus, a large lion with a pristine mane, standing proudly before them. Annabeth's staring at it in complete and utter shock, and Percy smiles, because he's managed to shock Annabeth Chase.

He wastes no time in wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing his lips to hers, kissing her softly like he'd wanted to for years.

oOo

Everyday Percy falls more and more in love with Annabeth. Seventh year was a whole lot of work, prepping for their NEWTs, and Annabeth was absolutely swamped. She made time for Percy, but between her duties as Head Girl and Quidditch captain and the exams, she'd come in completely drained.  
Percy preferred her getting some food and rest, so instead of going on dates, they'd meet up for a meal and then fall asleep.

She does great in her NEWTs, and he does just fine.

oOo

He's an Auror, but in a world where there's almost no dark lords, it's just a fancy name and fancy pay for a relatively easy job. Things don't work out the way they planned, which is why Annabeth is a Quidditch player for America. Well, she is, but she's on a long break now, recovering from giving birth to their little bundle of joy who's four months old and already showing magic tendencies, if they're going by the mysterious disappearances of her toys.

Percy's in love with his best friend, and really, he doesn't mind.


End file.
